Kenny Benge preached a sermon entitled “The Deadly Sin of Envy”for The Second Sunday of Lent on February 24, 2013. During Lent, we are exploring an ancient taxonomy of sin to help us examine our lives, develop a lifestyle of repentance, and experience a fresh and joyous grace in Christ. The deadly sin of Envy hates to see other people happy. It begins by asking: Why should I not enjoy what others enjoy? And it ends by demanding “Why should others enjoy what I cannot? The envious man does not love himself, although he begins with self-love. He is not grateful for, or happy in what he is or what he has. It will not let him live as himself, grateful for his qualities and talents, such as they are, making the best and most rewarding use of them. The sin of envy keeps us from accepting the ordinary parts of ourselves

The Second Sunday of LentGenesis 15:1-12, 17-18Psalm 27Philippians 3:17-4:1Luke 13:31-35

Kenny Benge preached a sermon entitled “The Deadly Sin of Pride”for The First Sunday of Lent on February 17, 2013. During Lent, we are exploring an ancient taxonomy of sin to help us examine our lives, develop a lifestyle of repentance, and experience a fresh and joyous grace in Christ. Pride is the first, worst, and most prevalent of the seven deadly sins.The Greeks warned of hubris, the overreaching arrogance that creates an illusion of invulnerability (“pride goes before a fall) and in the biblical view, pride is the fundamental violation and disordering of love because it puts the love of the human self before the love of God.

The First Sunday of LentDeuteronomy 26:1-11Psalm 91:1-2,9-16Romans 10:8-13Luke 4:1-13

Kenny Benge preached a sermon entitled “The Transfiguration, Lent, and the Good Life”for Transfiguration Sunday on February 10, 2013. The New Testament teaches that those who are spiritually alive in the Kingdom of God are the most well off. Being alive in god’s Kingdom is a gift from God, not a moral program we design for ourselves to better ourselves.Spiritual practices that we undertake during Lent help to put us in a place for God to work, making room for Jesus, training us in how to respond to God with a lifestyle of repentance.